Nonfiction
Fly Like A Girl by Mary Jennings Hegar
I really enjoyed reading about her time in the Military and the adversity she faced and how she overcame it and achieved her goal.
I really enjoyed reading about her time in the Military and the adversity she faced and how she overcame it and achieved her goal.
The Cat I Never Named by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess:
“The Cat I Never Named” by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, is the true story of a teenage muslim girl who survived the Bosnian Genocide. Amra recalls the beginning of the war, the tension between her people and the serbs. She writes of the betrayal by her serb friends when they escape the city in the night, leaving her and the rest of the muslims stranded. She writes of the terror in the city when the first bombs started dropping. Amra tells of the heartbreak she felt in the death of those around her and the horrible way she prepared herself for what should never happen to any girl, but very well could have happened to her. Through all the darkness surrounding Amra’s final highschool and beginning adulthood years, a beautiful cat, the family’s guardian angel, protected them and brought joy. Amra admits she owes everything to the cat that found her way into everyone’s heart. I recommend this heart wrenching and thought provoking book to everyone, we need to be aware of the stories and horrors that occur outside of our American walls.
"Carpe diem, they say in Latin. Seize the day. I only want one. Just one day." In 'The Cat I Never Named' Amra Sabric-El-Rayess leads us through a part of the 1992-1998 world in an engaging commentary and emotional thought. With war creeping on them, the Serbs trying to erase muslims and all those who are "different", and a cat that Amra did not want but will find that she will need to remain strong in the times to come. This is a very emotional book about the horrors of war and the hope we can find in terrible times.
“The Cat I Never Named” by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, is the true story of a teenage muslim girl who survived the Bosnian Genocide. Amra recalls the beginning of the war, the tension between her people and the serbs. She writes of the betrayal by her serb friends when they escape the city in the night, leaving her and the rest of the muslims stranded. She writes of the terror in the city when the first bombs started dropping. Amra tells of the heartbreak she felt in the death of those around her and the horrible way she prepared herself for what should never happen to any girl, but very well could have happened to her. Through all the darkness surrounding Amra’s final highschool and beginning adulthood years, a beautiful cat, the family’s guardian angel, protected them and brought joy. Amra admits she owes everything to the cat that found her way into everyone’s heart. I recommend this heart wrenching and thought provoking book to everyone, we need to be aware of the stories and horrors that occur outside of our American walls.
"Carpe diem, they say in Latin. Seize the day. I only want one. Just one day." In 'The Cat I Never Named' Amra Sabric-El-Rayess leads us through a part of the 1992-1998 world in an engaging commentary and emotional thought. With war creeping on them, the Serbs trying to erase muslims and all those who are "different", and a cat that Amra did not want but will find that she will need to remain strong in the times to come. This is a very emotional book about the horrors of war and the hope we can find in terrible times.
We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai:
This collection of stories from girls around the world gives people a sneak peek of what it is like to be forced out of your homes. These girls show their very human pain but even within their pain their overflowing hope. Each of these girls are forced out of their homes for different reasons (primarily some sort of violence) but they hold onto their homes no matter how broken. It is amazing how strong people who have lost everything can feel that they are blessed to eventually gain everything with their hope and determination.
This collection of stories from girls around the world gives people a sneak peek of what it is like to be forced out of your homes. These girls show their very human pain but even within their pain their overflowing hope. Each of these girls are forced out of their homes for different reasons (primarily some sort of violence) but they hold onto their homes no matter how broken. It is amazing how strong people who have lost everything can feel that they are blessed to eventually gain everything with their hope and determination.
Warhead by Jeff Henigson:
This is one of the most intriguing memoirs I have ever read. I have difficulty putting it down. I almost did not get any sleep when I got it! It is a very moving story about a boy living during the Cold War who only wants his father to say 'I love you' but not being able to get those three words even when he is diagnosed with cancer. When he has the opportunity to get any wish he wants he decides to do something that he hopes would finally get the respect he desires and to help the world. He asked to speak to the leader of the USSR about putting an end to construction of nuclear weapons and instead invest the money going into the nuclear weapons program into things the world actually needs. It did have one sexual scene which caught me off guard but it was not explicit and it was very easy to gloss over but the story also had some explicit langauge (again easy to gloss over). Overall this memoir moved me to tears, laughter, and feel the anger Jeff felt of what the world was doing to itself. It was very human and raw which is something I think a lot of literature are beginning to lack to
This is one of the most intriguing memoirs I have ever read. I have difficulty putting it down. I almost did not get any sleep when I got it! It is a very moving story about a boy living during the Cold War who only wants his father to say 'I love you' but not being able to get those three words even when he is diagnosed with cancer. When he has the opportunity to get any wish he wants he decides to do something that he hopes would finally get the respect he desires and to help the world. He asked to speak to the leader of the USSR about putting an end to construction of nuclear weapons and instead invest the money going into the nuclear weapons program into things the world actually needs. It did have one sexual scene which caught me off guard but it was not explicit and it was very easy to gloss over but the story also had some explicit langauge (again easy to gloss over). Overall this memoir moved me to tears, laughter, and feel the anger Jeff felt of what the world was doing to itself. It was very human and raw which is something I think a lot of literature are beginning to lack to
A Rebel in Auschwitz by Jack Fairweather:
The Year is 1940, a year after Germany's invasion of Poland. Hitler has begun rounding up troops to concentration camps, one of these being Auschwitz. In hope of helping to bring back freedom, a man named Witold Pileki has begun gathering troops to make a resistance. When Witold is informed of a roundup schedule, he volunteers to be caught for the sake of having an inside man. Now, he must endure life in the brutal Nazi's grasp as he rounds up a ragtag team of weary men, forming an underground resistance against a massive army. And as the death toll rises, he must begin to help other prisoners escape to bring news of the camp's crimes. The allies decide to ignore it, claiming they must work on defeating Hitler. This leads Witold to begin planning for his uprising against the Nazis.
The book was well written. It had a lot of research put into it, and I think the author drove his purpose home. It shows just how evil the Nazis were, and how much the Allies were ignorant to the Auschwitz crimes, blinded by their motivation. I am glad someone has popularized this story of courage and compassion. The book also brings light on how easy it was to sneak things around the SS, because they were not very smart about the amount of restraint they gave on the Poles. One problem with that timeframe was a ton of outbreaks of typhus, but it's not unrealistic, seeing as it was very unsanitary there. I'd give it 4/5.
The Year is 1940, a year after Germany's invasion of Poland. Hitler has begun rounding up troops to concentration camps, one of these being Auschwitz. In hope of helping to bring back freedom, a man named Witold Pileki has begun gathering troops to make a resistance. When Witold is informed of a roundup schedule, he volunteers to be caught for the sake of having an inside man. Now, he must endure life in the brutal Nazi's grasp as he rounds up a ragtag team of weary men, forming an underground resistance against a massive army. And as the death toll rises, he must begin to help other prisoners escape to bring news of the camp's crimes. The allies decide to ignore it, claiming they must work on defeating Hitler. This leads Witold to begin planning for his uprising against the Nazis.
The book was well written. It had a lot of research put into it, and I think the author drove his purpose home. It shows just how evil the Nazis were, and how much the Allies were ignorant to the Auschwitz crimes, blinded by their motivation. I am glad someone has popularized this story of courage and compassion. The book also brings light on how easy it was to sneak things around the SS, because they were not very smart about the amount of restraint they gave on the Poles. One problem with that timeframe was a ton of outbreaks of typhus, but it's not unrealistic, seeing as it was very unsanitary there. I'd give it 4/5.
Punching Bag by Rex Ogle:
Summary: Rex is a kid who went through physical and mental abuse as a child, His stepfather Sam is a drunkard and his mother is abused by him. She in turn takes it out on Rex, along with Sam. The book is about how Rex goes through life where his parents wreck his mind, go through fights, hurting him, apologizing, hurting him again, and so on.
My Opinion: I liked the book, it was interesting. Punching Bag was easy and quick to read, in terms of pages. But it was not easy to read when it comes to what it is about. I would give it a 4/5.
Summary: Rex is a kid who went through physical and mental abuse as a child, His stepfather Sam is a drunkard and his mother is abused by him. She in turn takes it out on Rex, along with Sam. The book is about how Rex goes through life where his parents wreck his mind, go through fights, hurting him, apologizing, hurting him again, and so on.
My Opinion: I liked the book, it was interesting. Punching Bag was easy and quick to read, in terms of pages. But it was not easy to read when it comes to what it is about. I would give it a 4/5.
Race Against Time by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace
Summary: When a mob ambushes a church full of sharecroppers, and then burns the church, the sharecroppers are imprisoned and charged with murder. As they are awaiting to be put to death, a lawyer named Scipio Jones shows up to fight for their rights and keep them from the electric chair.
Opinion: It was a well written history book, it had a lot of description. I liked it a lot when it came to the length and the documents it showed from all the newspapers, and I liked the fact that it was a bit like A Rebel in Auschwitz. I would recommend it to a friend.
Summary: When a mob ambushes a church full of sharecroppers, and then burns the church, the sharecroppers are imprisoned and charged with murder. As they are awaiting to be put to death, a lawyer named Scipio Jones shows up to fight for their rights and keep them from the electric chair.
Opinion: It was a well written history book, it had a lot of description. I liked it a lot when it came to the length and the documents it showed from all the newspapers, and I liked the fact that it was a bit like A Rebel in Auschwitz. I would recommend it to a friend.
On Top of Glass by Karina Manta
Summary: Karina is a competitive figure skater who spent countless hours practicing and being careful of her every move, when suddenly she has to move away. She wanted to start a better version of herself, but instead her identity changed.
Review: I LOVED this book! I don't really enjoy reading a book about someone's experiences, but this book was different. It was really nice having a character I could relate to on many levels. We have gone through a bunch of the same experiences, and it was nice reading about how she got over hers.
Summary: Karina is a competitive figure skater who spent countless hours practicing and being careful of her every move, when suddenly she has to move away. She wanted to start a better version of herself, but instead her identity changed.
Review: I LOVED this book! I don't really enjoy reading a book about someone's experiences, but this book was different. It was really nice having a character I could relate to on many levels. We have gone through a bunch of the same experiences, and it was nice reading about how she got over hers.
Science and the Skeptic by Marc Zimmer
Summary: Marc Zimmer combats science misinformation and lies in this book, as he shows what science is real. Along with his 20 rules, he explains why people need to trust science more than ever.
Opinion: The book is very slanted in the way of science being the only fact. Zimmer dismisses anything that does not line up with what is scientifically proven, some of which being homeopathy and supplements, along with many natural alternatives to medicine. In the book he is very hostile towards people who are skeptical of some science, going as far as telling them "to be consistent with their distrust of science, next time you have a surgery, tell the doctor to not even bother washing his hands." He seems to think you can not be skeptical of some science and trust some of it also, as if it is an all or nothing scenario.
Summary: Marc Zimmer combats science misinformation and lies in this book, as he shows what science is real. Along with his 20 rules, he explains why people need to trust science more than ever.
Opinion: The book is very slanted in the way of science being the only fact. Zimmer dismisses anything that does not line up with what is scientifically proven, some of which being homeopathy and supplements, along with many natural alternatives to medicine. In the book he is very hostile towards people who are skeptical of some science, going as far as telling them "to be consistent with their distrust of science, next time you have a surgery, tell the doctor to not even bother washing his hands." He seems to think you can not be skeptical of some science and trust some of it also, as if it is an all or nothing scenario.
Bone Deep: Untangling The Betsy Faria Murder Case by Charles Bosworth Jr. & Joel J. Schwartz
Summary: Russ Faria arrived home on December 27, 2011. He took off his coat, hung it up, and set down a bag of dog food in his garage. When he went back to his living room, everything changed. His wife, Betsy Faria was on the floor, stabbed 55 times. Convinced she committed suicide, he called the cops. Little did he know the turn the investigation would take during a trial - against Russ. From policemen lying on the witness stand to contradictions and lies by Pam Hupp, a friend of Betsy, this book tells of the horrible case of Betsy Faria's murder.
Review: It was a very good book. It documented the murder case in almost every detail, with help from the defense lawyer in it. It was easy to follow, and showed the horrific events Russ went through. I would definitely recommend it.
Summary: Russ Faria arrived home on December 27, 2011. He took off his coat, hung it up, and set down a bag of dog food in his garage. When he went back to his living room, everything changed. His wife, Betsy Faria was on the floor, stabbed 55 times. Convinced she committed suicide, he called the cops. Little did he know the turn the investigation would take during a trial - against Russ. From policemen lying on the witness stand to contradictions and lies by Pam Hupp, a friend of Betsy, this book tells of the horrible case of Betsy Faria's murder.
Review: It was a very good book. It documented the murder case in almost every detail, with help from the defense lawyer in it. It was easy to follow, and showed the horrific events Russ went through. I would definitely recommend it.